8th Round Of Islam-Catholic Dialog Opens In Vatican

Vatican, Nov 20, IRNA – The 8th round of dialog among religions, held between Muslim and Catholic thinkers from Iran and the Holy See began its work here on Monday evening. During the three-day meeting whose opening day was titled “Cooperation between Muslims and Christians aimed at Boosting Justice in Contemporary World was headed by the Head of Iran’s Cultural and Islamic Communications Organization Mohammad-Baqer Khorramshad and the Head of Vatican’s Papal Council Committee Cardinal Jeans Louise Touran. Cardinal Touran said at the opening session of the dialogue among religions meeting, “These meetings and dialogues are of significant importance, particularly more so because they are held during the sensitive ongoing period of history, and we hope they would have a positive effect on international developments.” the Head of Iran’s Cultural and Islamic Communications Organization Khorramshad, too, in the meeting elaborated on the high status of justice in Islamic mentality, arguing, “It was because of the pivotal status of justice in Islamic mentality that the Islamic Revolution of Iran achieved victory.” Mohammad-Baqer Khorramshad added, “This revolution has set its foundation over the platform of justice and built a new set of relations at two internal and international scenes, based on the axis of justice.” He added, “From the viewpoint of the late founder of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, Imam Khomeini (P), the new international world order must be based on justice, free from the hegemony of the oppressor world powers.” He emphasized, “Based on the literature of the Islamic Revolution, justice must not only become the major norm for world management and the international relations, but at the scene of the internal polices, too, implementing justice would lead to prevalence of freedom, so that the public right for political and social participation, and decision making over the fate of nations by themselves are among the manifestations of observing justice and respecting the people’s freedom in the political system of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Religious dialogues between Iranian and Vatican thinkers are held biennially. Different aspects of 'freedom' were discussed by a group of Iranian academics and thinkers in the presence of Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Tuesday evening. Around 150 of thinkers, intellectuals, professors of universities and seminaries, and researchers took part in the discussion in the fourth meeting of strategic thought. According to the report of Supreme Leader Office Website, the aim of the meeting is creation of a scientific atmosphere for thinking and exchanging views in direction of paving ground for an academic and functional dialogue and making decisions on strategic and long-term planning issues. At the beginning, Vaez-zadeh, secretary of the meeting, presented a report on activities of the secretariat. Then, 10 of participants presented their views on the issue of 'freedom' and 15 others discussed the presented viewpoints. One of the main objectives of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, as one of the revolution’s main three mottoes “Independence, Freedom, Islamic Republic’ suggests, was achieving legitimate freedoms for the Iranian nation that had for decades under the rule of the former despotic regime tasted the bitter taste of dictatorship./end